Single seam stitches are just asking for trouble in a heavy use uniform. I've been quite happy with the new USMC camouflage uniform. Durability was one of my worries. The old uniforms had two weights: woodland and poppy is what we called them. The woodlands were heavier and what I used. The others were must lighter, which was nice in hot weather, but ripped too easily for my tastes. The new uniforms are closer to the woodlands in terms of thickness.

When I was in the Corps, which per-dated the new style uniforms we still had the Vietnam era uniforms and the crotches wore out in no time if you had big thighs. It wasn't until I got to the end of my service that they begin to introduce the BDU's, in boot camp I was issued a mix of Jungle Cammies and solid greens. Only after I got in the FMF did I get all uniforms (cammies) that matched. Then in I think '84 we got BDU's and they had the re-enforced knees, crotches and elbows. The thing I remember about them is they were freakin' hot.

When I was in the Corps, which per-dated the new style uniforms we still had the Vietnam era uniforms and the crotches wore out in no time if you had big thighs. It wasn't until I got to the end of my service that they begin to introduce the BDU's, in boot camp I was issued a mix of Jungle Cammies and solid greens. Only after I got in the FMF did I get all uniforms (cammies) that matched. Then in I think '84 we got BDU's and they had the re-enforced knees, crotches and elbows. The thing I remember about them is they were freakin' hot.

The BDU's you describe definitely sounds like what become known as the woodlands.

The BDU's you describe definitely sounds like what become known as the woodlands.

I think they were. They were real, real heavy cotton, did not breath and the two layers in the crotch area yielded ... well discomfort, but hey they didn't wear out there as the olds did. They were it least 3X the thickness of the jungle cammies. So they took up more room in your ALICE pack and duffel bag. I still have a few pair and sadly no longer fit very well. LOL

Uniforms should have been designed originally to account for the strain, Thompson said. "Losing a crotch is supposed to happen sometime after a Thanksgiving meal, not in combat."

Avoid Thanksgiving with that guy's family. Losing a crotch? Yeah I know, just how it sounds.

"crotch durability problems"? Is that Pentagonese lingo for "thigh rub"? Being a guy with big thighs, I've had that problem ever since high school, I did well to get a year out of a decent pair of jeans (never mind trying to save money buying a cheap pair) until recently.